


Brunette in the Red Hoodie

by actualcactus



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Drabble, M/M, One Shot, expensive headphones, i love this pairing sm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 03:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13091556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actualcactus/pseuds/actualcactus
Summary: Rich doesn't know when he had really truly started liking Michael. Freshman year? Junior year? Who knows, but at least it all works out in the end.





	Brunette in the Red Hoodie

Rich didn’t know when it had started.

Maybe it was when he transferred to Middleborough in Freshman year and noticed the brunette for the first time, hurrying down the hallway in a too big hoodie before being intercepted by a senior. Rich watched with cautious whiskey brown eyes as he was slammed against the lockers and a flash of color on his left shoulder caught Rich’s attention if for a split second and the senior said something to the boy too quiet for anyone but them and his loons to hear. And how as he watched them quickly flee the scene as an aging woman popped out of the doorway to squawk at them like an old goose. How the only person to hurry up to the brunette boy in the red jacket was a shorter brunette boy in a blue cardigan, who helped him up and they both looked around fearfully before quickly darting into the nearest classroom side by side and something flared up in Rich’s chest.

Perhaps it was when the sketchy raven-haired girl pulled him into the janitors closet one afternoon after a particularly long day, Freshman year, leaning over him and picking at her hot pink nail polish worriedly as she kept looking past him as if worrying that someone was there that would scold her every two seconds. A girl who he recognized to be one of the Senior jocks’ girlfriends, high up on the social ladder and if anyone found out that they were there, she would most likely be torn down to his level in a minute flat. It was social suicide talking to someone like him, a lonely Freshman. But she spoke fervently about a supercomputer she digested around his age, how it made her cool. How it told her what to do and how it was almost her best friend. How it promised she would be successful in life because that’s what she wanted. She had a hookup at Spencer’s in the mall and, if he only mentioned her name and gave the person there 400 dollars, he could have a SQUIP too. Rich had wondered if the brunette in the red jacket would notice him if he had a SQUIP. He told the girl he would think about it.

Maybe it was mid-Sophomore year. Rich had gotten a SQUIP over the summer and the girl had been right, he was cool now. After the Seniors graduated Jake Dillinger took over the spot as “Hottest Guy At School” and his SQUIP urged him to talk to him, make connections, and now he was Jake’s best friend. He was the second most popular person at school. And he heard his name being called from down the hallway from the preening voice of Chloe Valentine, Jake’s on-and-off girlfriend, and he confidently walked toward her with an easy smile on her face ( _Rich, smile_ ) and had his gaze redirected to where a few Juniors were crowded around someone in the middle of the hallway. His SQUIP told him to go break it up, so he shoved his way past the taller boys only to almost fall over in surprise at the sheer  _fury_ in the dark chocolate gaze he locked with. He recognized the brunette in the red hoodie almost immediately, but instead of trying to talk to him he quickly broke their gaze ( _shock_ ) and growled some nonsense words that his SQUIP fed to him in a soft whisper and they quickly departed. Rich, instead of trying to talk to him, fisted the soft red fabric in his hand and pushed him against the locker. Watching as he winced in pain, too aware of how he could feel the brunette in the red hoodie’s labored breathing on his cheek ( _shock_ ) as he stood on his toes to maintain easy eye contact ( _shock_ ) and told him that he better watch it, before realising the boy and stalking off down the hallway with a slightly bitter look on his face. He heard someone whoop his name, and when he turned the corner and cast one look back at him his friend from before with the ratty blue cardigan was standing by his side and they were talking with their heads dipped toward each other.

Or Junior year, as he grabbed red sweatshirt by his hood and pulled him toward him, the boy shrieking in surprise, telling him to stay still and writing ‘RIENDS’ onto the back of the black and white backpack with a shaky hand ( _shock_ ) ( _Jake will find it hilarious_ ) before shoving him forward again and quickly ducking around the corner, refusing to look back at him. ( _shock_ )

Junior year. As he pulled the boy with the blue cardigan ( _“Jeremy”, his SQUIP whispered_ ) into the men’s bathroom with déjà vu echoing in his ears, acutely aware of what he was doing. As he clawed at his scalp with a nervous energy buzzing through his entire body, ( _shock_ ) until his SQUIP apparently had had enough and he uselessly watched through his own eyes as he (his SQUIP) preened to Jeremy about how great having a SQUIP was (they’re really not) ( _shock_ ) until he fled, regaining control of his body. His breathing was coming out heavy and labored ( _shock_ ) and tears welled up in his eyes ( _shock_ ) as he quickly retreated outside.

Junior year, when he stalked toward Jeremy and was already reaching out to grab him by the forearm when a sharp pain ricocheted through his head and he winced ( _shock_ ) until realizing he could see the buzzing form of a second SQUIP, and dread rushed through him ( _shock_ ) as he grinned at Jeremy ( _smile_ ) and congratulated him, slapping him on the back maybe a little too roughly before turning around, smile dropping, and running his fingers through his spiky blonde hair nervously. ( _shock_ )

Junior year. Jake’s 6th Annual Halloween Party, he was frantic (shock). He tried to drink alcohol, a part of his and his SQUIP’s agreement that he could handle it fine on his own on the nights of any and all parties he went to as to keep up his cool facade. But every time he tried to ( _shock_ ) he was stopped ( _shock_ ) because ( _not tonight, too dangerous_ ) his SQUIP said no. When he bolted up the stairs and almost crashed into someone ( _shock_ ). When he stumbled back and met a pair of red-rimmed chocolate eyes glaring at him and instantly recognized it as brunette, red hoodie, and opened his mouth to desperately ask him, too, if he had any Mountain Dew Red ( _shock_ ), but before he could the boy shoved him backward - kind of ironic, figuring - and snarled some choice words at him before thumping down the stairs with the intent of somebody wanting to escape and a new sense of dread ( _shock_ ) rushed through him as he realized that ( _shock_ ) nobody was going to have any ( _shock_ ) Mountain Dew ( _Richard_ ) Red ( _shock_ ).

Junior year. He was in the hospital, most of his body numb from the number of painkillers he was put on. His SQUIP was screaming like a banshee in the back of his skull, but at this point he just ignores it. He can’t feel it shocking him anymore. And it’s not like he’s been awake for most of the time he’s been in this wretched place. Then the door opens, and Rich is almost convinced it’s Jake until he remembers that he’s hospitalized right now, too, on broken legs. So when instead of a brunette boy in a red hoodie hesitantly sticks his head in and looks over at him he’s suddenly keenly aware of everything around him. “Uhm, this is probably weird but-” he held up a bottle of red soda “-you probably need this too, right?” And then he kept coming. Rich learned his name was Michael and he had a beautiful laugh. He gave him a teddy bear that said “Get Well Soon” on a heart. And then Jeremy showed up, and Michael rolled his eyes and shot him a fond grin before shutting the curtain between the two beds so he could talk to Jeremy and a man who he assumed was Jeremy’s Dad. Rich smiled like an idiot.

Senior year of high school. Rich was back in school and had a group of official friends. Not people he was being forced to talk to via SQUIP, though a few of them are people he did talk to because of his SQUIP. But getting to know them -  _actually_ getting to know them - most of them are good people. Brooke is sweet and caring and, if a little naïve, a really good friend to have around. Jake was really just a big, wonderful nerd who struggled with remembering things sometimes but made it up with his big, goofy grin and being always there for him. Jenna, though a little closeted, was funny and kind even if she was one of the  _most_ stubborn people he has  _ever_ met. Jeremy was awkward and a little (a lot) geeky who didn’t really speak a lot but when he did it was either soft, kind words or one of the snidest comments about one of them that Rich’s face hurt from laughing so hard. Chloe, albeit generally a little bit of a bitch, was smart and blunt with her words and really good at picking out color palettes for people. And Michael. Brunette with the red hoodie. He really was just a goofy, nerdy, passionate and loyal individual who will send you the stupidest meme you have ever laid your eyes upon just because he thought of you. And Rich could understand why Jeremy had been best friends with this kid for - how many? 10? - years because he was a riot.

Senior year. Rich stood in the hallway, shifting his feet nervously and his whiskey brown eyes kept flickering down the hall toward Christine and Brooke where they stood off to the side, whispering softly to each other. And then Jake started saying something but that exact moment there was a crowd of people that hooked the corner and Rich lit up at the sight of a mildly confused Michael Mell getting dragged through the hallway by a smug looking Chloe Valentine and a snickering Jeremiah Heere, who both shot him a thumbs up before dropping him off for Christine Canigula and Brooke Lohst to flock around. Rich could hear him squawk and call Jeremy a bitch from all the way at his end of the hallway and the blonde boy snorted, watching as Jeremy only took the time to flip him off as the two girls only shoved Michael forward. And then the brunette in the red hoodie finally noticed him and Jake, standing together off to the side, and his eyes narrowed for a moment but Jake must have done something because not a moment later his face was flushed red. Jacob Dillinger only clapped him on the shoulder though and walked away toward the rest of the group, blowing him a kiss and wiggling his eyebrows. Richard Goranski swallowed and rolled his eyes, turning back toward Michael, clearing his throat. “I- uh. Mr. Mell-” Michael huffed and Rich grinned ecstatically, before starting over. “Mr. Mell, would you be ever so willing to go to prom with me… Mr. Goranski…?” Michael was gaping, rivaling even Jeremy with how red his face was. Someone wolf-whistled.

Senior year. “It would be my pleasure, Mr. Goranski, to go to prom with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> go check me out at my tumblr @ literally-a-piece-of-garbage and send me prompts and pairings so your favorite pairing can have something done with my shitty writing too!


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